Nathan VanderKlippe
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Nov 22/02) - Fire chief Mick Beauchamp is warning that the city risks running its fire equipment into the ground if it doesn't buy a new fire engine.

Fire chief Mick Beauchamp says the city will place its equipment -- and its residents -- at risk if it doesn't buy a new fire engine. - Nathan VanderKlippe/NNSL photo

City replacement plans call for a new fire engine every 10 years, but some councillors are balking at the thought of spending $750,000 on a new fire truck this year -- especially when the same truck was valued at $500,000 just a year ago. The price skyrocketed after demands for fire trucks leaped higher following Sept. 11, 2001.

"The money could be better spent," said Coun. Dave Ramsay.

"It's nice to have the biggest and best equipment ... but I don't think we need it."

But Beauchamp warned that "we can't allow these things (fire trucks) to get junked up -- that's how we get 30 years life out of them."

The city bought its newest fire truck, Engine No. 7, in 1993. The truck is called a "quint," a multi-purpose vehicle that replaced two other fire trucks. The quint comes with a 75-foot aerial ladder and is capable of storing and pumping water.

At the fire hall garage, trucks are parked in order of use. At the front is Engine No. 7, which is used on average once a day. In the city's rotation schedule, a truck is only supposed to spend 10 years in front-line service before moving into second place. Beauchamp said keeping a truck in front for too long could mean that several years down the road the city will have to buy two trucks at once.

Behind number seven is Engine No. 5, which is used 30 to 40 times a year, both as backup and as a frontline truck when engine seven needs repairs.

The last truck in the rotation is Engine No. 6, a pumper built in 1981 that the city purchased from Pine Point mine. It is rarely used. But Beauchamp said the city needs to focus on taking Engine No. 7 out of daily rotation or risk having it break down before it has served its 30 year life.

Even so, Coun. Alan Woytuik suggested that delaying the fire engine purchase could save the city money, since it would mean borrowing less.

"If you spend the money that you have on the fire truck, it means you have to borrow money for some of the other projects," he said, adding that deferring the purchase for one year could mean saving as much as $50,000 in interest.

The $750,000 for the new truck is slated to come out of the city's mobile equipment fund, which will have a balance of about $1.9 million by the end of this year.

Council will decide on spending the money for the new fire truck in the next few weeks during budget discussions.